


Reflect

by LiveAndLetRain (CaraLee)



Series: BNHA Mini-Fics [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Backstory, Gen, No editing we die like mne, Snippets, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Family Drama (My Hero Academia)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaraLee/pseuds/LiveAndLetRain
Summary: Two boys in a hallway, add one overshared backstory.
Relationships: Midoriya Izuku & Todoroki Shouto
Series: BNHA Mini-Fics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2015281
Comments: 8
Kudos: 35





	Reflect

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WriterGreenReads](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterGreenReads/gifts).



> So I've decided to take a break from writing long fics, since I've been struggling lately, and I'm going back to my roots of writing short snippets and mini-fics, sometimes just as strikes my fancy and sometimes using a random word generator to provide prompts.

“My father was a contender for succession to the Firelord’s throne,” Shouto says, Izuku almost opens his mouth to declare his ignorance of the political affairs of the Fire Nation outside of the brief mention they’d received in his history lessons, mostly focused around the Hundred Year War (An event occuring centuries ago!) but Shouto continues speaking before he can.

“One of his rivals maneuvered so that he was forced into an alliance marriage with the daughter of a Water Tribe leader. Thus disqualifying him from taking the throne.”

Izuku’s confusion must show on his face because Shouto gives him an odd look before explaining. “Traditionally, the Firelord must marry within the Fire Nation, to ensure that the heirs will be fire-natured. Ideally, firebenders as well, though there is precedent for a non-bender-”

“This Izuku does know. “Firelord Izumi, daughter of Firelord Zuko and Firelady Mai.”

Shouto nods. “By being married to my mother, of the Water Tribe, my father was no longer guaranteed to have fire-natured children.” He pauses, considering his next words. “My father does not like not getting what he wants.”

Something about the way he says it sends chills down Izuku’s spine.

“My eldest brother was a firebender,” Shouto continues, “a skilled one, able to wield blue flame. But he was sickly and my father deemed him weak. My sister is a waterbender and my other brother a nonbender. And then I was born.”

“And you’re a waterbender,” Izuku said softly, not quite understanding but feeling like he _almost_ does. As if he is standing in front of a wall and a door has just appeared, all he has to do is nudge it open.

“I _was_ a firebender.” Shouto says, equally soft, and raises one hand between them.

Orange flames dance in his palm, where before Izuku has only seen frost.

“I was eight when I bent water for the first time.”

Eight.

Izuku calls a small swirl of wind to his own hand, dust dancing inside it, mirroring the flame.

“I was eight the first time I bent at all.” 

Eight the first time he’d bent but also eight the first time he’d been _aware_ of the elements. As if one day both Earth and Air had simply awoken in his soul where previously they had slumbered. Izuku, who’s earliest memories include watching Katsuki stare at his mother’s scented candles as if caught in a trance, even before he was able to bend the flames himself, knows that is not normal.

No more normal than being able to bend two elements in the first place.

Looking at the mis-matched, scar-framed eyes across from him, Izuku feels a sense of kinship growing in him, even more than when Toshinori had found him. Here is someone else, someone from a life so different than his, but who is caught in the same, strange events.

Shouto doesn’t look at him, focused on the small whirlwind of dust and air in Izuku’s hand. “I hadn’t firebent since that day,” he says softly. “I refused to use _His_ element. He’s used it to hurt so many people-” he trails off, still watching Izuku’s bending with the intensity of a waterbender stranded in the Si Wong.

“And then yesterday, you said,” he looks up finally and Izuku’s breath catches at the wildness in his eyes. “You said-And I,” he looks back down at his own hand and the small, wavering flame cupped between his fingers. “I saved someone,” he says with wonder. “With the fire.”

He closes his fist, extinguishing the fire. “You showed me how to do that.”

Izuku holds out his own hand, tiny whirlwind still spinning. He grins up at Shouto and is rewarded with a small, unpracticed, warm smile in return. “The elements don’t belong to anyone. You decide how you use them.”

Slowly, Shouto reaches out again, and fire and ice bloom around air and dust.

**Author's Note:**

> I have an entire atla au drawn up in which I do everything I don't usually do and throw so many of the canon rules out the window and instead of finding loopholes I rewrite the whole playbook. It's incredibly fun and terribly self-indulgent.


End file.
